


Late at Night

by NotWhoYouThink131



Series: The Joys of University [2]
Category: Hamilton - Miranda
Genre: Abuse, Alcohol, Alex gets in a fight, Chess, Drug Use, Farmer Refuted, For Once Thomas is Not a Jackass, John is a Sloppy Drunk, Low-Key Homophobia, M/M, My Shot, Prostitution, Sexual Assult reference, Working Out My Feelings Through Fic, surprise
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-02-24
Updated: 2017-10-14
Packaged: 2018-09-26 13:54:43
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 9
Words: 10,479
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9901322
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/NotWhoYouThink131/pseuds/NotWhoYouThink131
Summary: As everyone gets used to their new roommates, Alexander decides to go to a bar down the street. He is not disappointed.





	1. Chapter 1

It’s quiet for a Thursday.

“Back table’s open!” John races to the back corner of the room. “Elana, we’re home!” He calls.

“Hey Elana,” Hercules greets the bartender and follows John to the back table, leading Lafayette by the wirst. Samuel Seabury is setting up a podium in the other corner, near the counter. “Oh, come on, Sammy!” Hercules groans. “It’s only move-in day! Give everyone some time before you start chewin' everyone's ear off!”

“The work of men of the Lord never ceases,” Samuel says, lifting his nose to the air in a snobby gesture. “I am no different.”

“Elana!” Lafayette groans. "Help us!"

“Sorry, boys,” Elana shrugs. “It’s a free country, and he has a permit.”

“Just ignore him, boys!” John calls loudly. “We’ll be plastered by the time he pulls his head from his ass!” Drinks are brought to the table and John dives in, finishing two shots by the time Hercules actually sits down.

Lafayette toys with one of the empty glasses, watching Samuel. “I’m surprised Charles isn’t here,” He mumbles.

“You know,” Samuel turns to him. “Contrary to popular belief, I can function without Charles. I am not an extension of his being or his sidekick.” He stares at Lafayette’s shocked expression and sighs. “It’s not that loud in here, your voice can carry easier.”

Lafayette nods, embarrassed, and quickly grabs his shots, downing them, leaving Hercules behind as he braces himself for the alcoholic impact.

“Hey,” John claps a hand on Lafayette’s shoulder and points to the bar, where a small figure is standing. “Check her out.”

“John,” Hercules snorts. “You gotta knock this off, man.”

“No, it’s fine,” John stand up. “I got this. I’ll be right back.” He walks away.

“God,” Hercules chuckles, taking one of his shots. “Day one, he’s already chasing ass.”

“She looks like a freshman,” Lafayette says. “She’s so little.”

“Hey,” John sits next to the figure at the bar. “What’s up, baby girl?”

“Excuse me?”

John freezes. Oops, that’s a dude.

The figure turns to him, and John feels his face heat up as he’s taken aback. Pretty brown eyes, smooth light tan skin. The boy’s hair is pulled up into a high ponytail and there is a thin veil of facial hair. He’s actually very attractive; John is still recovering when he speaks.

“Oh, uh, sorry.” He says. “I just saw you from across the bar and I thought-”

“Yeah, yeah,” The boy snorts. “You’re fine, Freckles.”

“He did something wrong.” Hercules says from the table. “He’s panicking.”

“Should we go over?” Lafayette asks.

“He’s fine,” Hercules shrugs. He empties his second shot and watches.

“I’m Alex,” The boy smiles.

“J-John,” John bites his lip. His head is pounding; he needs another drink. “New here?” He squeaks.

“Just moved in,” Alex says.

“Oh, you’re a freshman?”

“Yeah,” Alex nods. He plays with the rim of the glass in his hand. This kid’s kinda cute, but if he came over here looking for a ‘Baby girl’.....

“Wanna come over to my table?” John says. “I got some friends over there.”

“Oh, uh, sure…” Alex nods, feeling his heart pound. He grabs his glass and turns around. He hears John tap the counter and mumble something about more shots.

When Hercules sees Alex’s face, he starts laughing. “Oh shit! It’s a guy! Oh shit!”

Lafayette chuckles. “Good pick, John!”

“Oh, shut the fuck up!” John pouts. He sits down. “Boys, this is Alex.”

“Hello,” Alex waves nervously.

“Lafayette,” Lafayette holds up his empty shot glass. “Hello.”

“And I’m Hercules,” Hercules says. “So you’re new here?”

“Freshman,” John says, leaning back in his seat.

“What high school did you come from?” Hercules asks.

“Uh… I was homeschooled,” Alex hesitates.

“Cool,” Hercules says. “Where are you from?”

“Doesn’t sound like he’s American,” Lafayette mumbles.

“Nevis,” Alex says. “Caribbean Islands.”

“Whoa, really?” John puts his chair back on all four legs. “Cool!”

“I’ve heard that name before,” Hercules says. “Nevis… Nevis…”

“There was a big storm last summer,” Alex says. “Maybe the news covered it.”

“Sounds familiar,” John says. “It was a hurricane or something, right?”

“Yeah…” Alex takes another drink. A new round of shots for the others come, and they all quickly drink their shots. Alex notices John’s hand is unsteady when he sets his glass down. “You okay?”

“He’s fine.” Hercules says. “He’s just a little wrecked.” He taps the table to gather John’s quickly failing attention. “Hey, you’re done tonight.”

“Herc, I’m fine~!” John whines, his voice high. “I can have a few more~”

“I’m afraid not, mon ami.” Lafayette snorts. “You are very drunk.”

“I’m not that drunk,” John says. "Alcohol doesn't kick in that fast~!

“For some reason,” Hercules says. “It does for you.”

“Can I have your attention, please?” A voice behind Alex sounds.

“Oh, here we go!” John groans. “Sammy Seabury, back from Summer Church Camp to spread his Republican bull _ shit _ !”

Alex turns to look at the new addition to the overwhelming experience he is having. The man is small with delicate Elvish features and a determined and controlled demeanor. He is standing on a box so he can see over his podium.

“Mr. Laurens, I ask that you shut your mouth.” Seabury says calmly. “This is a free country, after all, and I have the right to-”

“Don’t start that ‘Free country’ shit!” Hercules groans. “It’s only free for white men-”

“And straight men!” John calls.

“And cis men!” Lafayette shouts.

Alex watches them start overlapping each other, getting louder and louder until Seabury finally shouts over them, his face red. “This is  _ enough _ !” The trio quiets down, huffing and mumbling under their breath.

“Motherfucker.” John mutters.

“As I was saying,” Seabury cracks his neck and keeps going, a smile plastered on his face. “I am a theology major at our local university, and I am here today to introduce you to the modern ways of the Lord.”

“It’s a Christian college.” John says. “They know the ways of the lord, Sammy.”

“Is this bar on campus, Mr. Laurens?” Seabury asks, turning yet again away from his lecture.

“No,” Alex answers for him.

“Are there only college students in this bar?”

“No…”

“Therefore, there may be people who are not Christian.” Seabury stares smugly as John, who turns his back to him. “As I was saying-”

“If this country is known for its religious freedom and diversity,” Alex interjects. “Shouldn’t you be minding your business? Leave everyone alone to get drunk?” He ignores the glare on Seabury’s face and instead looks at Lafayette’s dropped jaw. “What?”

“Who are you?” Seabury raises an eyebrow.

“Alexander Hamilton.”

“You’re Jefferson’s roommate, right?”

“Ah, jeez.” Hercules sighs. “Sam’s boyfriend is probably your RA-”

“Charles is  _ not _ my boyfriend!” Seabury’s face turns dark red and he steps off his box. He takes two steps towards the table and John staggers to his feet to get between him and Hercules. “Get out of my way!” He yells.

Alex cannot help but be alarmed no one is bothering to break up what he’s assuming is about to be a fight. Lafayette is even digging out a compact mirror from his purse slowly, eyes still wavering between Alex and Hercules. Hercules is watching the altercation, but he makes no move to stop it.

“Make me, bitch.” John laughs in Seabury’s face. He has a good six inches of height on the man, but somehow Seabury seems more intimidating.

“Hey,” Alex gets between them. “Let’s calm down-”

“Out of my way, kid!” Seabury shoves Alex back into his seat. Seabury grabs John by the collar and pulls him down so they’re face-to-face. “Now listen to me, Laurens.”

Alex’s mind goes blank for a moment, staring at Seabury.  _ He hit me _ . Alex cannot hear what the man is saying to John because his blood is pumping in his ears, his adrenaline pumping in his hands. He’s back to his feet with his fist in Seabury’s jaw before he realizes he’s moved.

“Oh!” Hercules yelps, jumping to his feet and grabbing Alex’s hand. Seabury lowers himself to the floor, holding his jaw. “Nice shot!”

“Holy shit!” John laughs.

Everyone has uncharacteristically averted their eyes as Seabury gets to his feet and stomps to the bathroom. Alex shakes off Hercules and sits back down, massaging and flexing his aching hand.

“Are you okay?” Lafayette asks,

“I’m fine,” Alex huffs. “He’ll have a bruise, but I’m fine.”

“Jesus, didn’t think you'd actually hit him,” John says, still catching his breath from laughing so hard.

“He hit me first.” Alex shrugs. “Wasn’t just gonna let him get away with that.”

“Out,” Elana points to the door. “All of you, we’re not having a brawl when he comes out here.”

“Come on,” John groans. “We’ll be good!”

Hercules picks up John and carries him out, Lafayette and Alex in tow.

“Where to next, boys?” John says, his voice muffled by Hercules’ shirt.

“I’m going home.” Alex says.

“Eh, that ain’t too smart.” Hercules says. “Like I said, Sam’s best friend is your RA, I’d steer clear of your room for a day or two.”

“Then where do I go?” Alex says. “I can’t even go back to my own room?”

“I mean, you can.” Lafayette says. “But Charles has a key to your room, so it’s not smart.”

“You can come back to our room.” Hercules grins.

“Aw yeah, there’s extra room in John’s bed,” Lafayette wiggles his eyebrows.

“Leave him alone,” Hercules laughs.

“I think I’m good,” Alex chuckles. “Oh, come on~” John coos. “I’m a good cuddler~”

“Sure, you are,” Alex smiles.

“Come on,” Hercules says. “Laf can stay in my bed with me and you can take his bed.”

“You don’t have to do that,” Alex insists.

“We want to~” John hums, twisting to look at Alex. All his blood has rushed to his face since Hercules has his draped over his shoulder, but Alex can tell even without that, his face would be flushed because the freckled boy is absolutely hammered.

“Just one night,” Lafayette says. “Please?”

Alex thinks about it for a moment. These people have been so nice to him since he met them, and he stood up for them. With a dull sense of dread he realizes he made enemies for these people.

“Sure,” Alex finally nods.


	2. Chapter 2

Maria comes home after 11:00

Angelica left a few hours ago to go check on Peggy. While Eliza went to the bookstore to rent some books. She beat Angelica home and decided to get ready for bed. They had a long day planned for tomorrow most of which would be hanging out with Peggy and showing her around.

The door opened and Maria came in limping. Her lip looks like it was bleeding and her shoulder is bruised. She looks around at her stuff, neatly put away, and blinks a few times.

“I hope you don’t mind,” Eliza says. Maria jumps and turns around to face her. “I didn’t want you worrying about that when you came in tonight.” Eliza sees her lip and frowns. “I have a first aid kit in the bathroom.”

Maria nods. “Thank you,” She says softly, going through her clothes until she finds pajamas. She takes them and goes to the bathroom.

Eliza frowns and sit up in her bed. She watches the light under the bathroom door shift as Maria goes back and forth across the bathroom. She hears the shower turn on and winces as she hears Maria hiss and groan at the water.

Maria loves hot water. It relaxes her tired muscles and burns away this grimy feel that settles itself over her body. A group of freshman paid James this time. Wanted to celebrate the start of the school year/ James found them on the football field. Her stomach knots up and she closes her eyes. Wash it away, it’s over now. Wash it all away.

She stays in the shower for hours, until the water is cold and the shower air is stale. She steps out and looks at herself in the mirror. She is covered in old scars, fading bruises, and a thick scar running from the bottom of her ribs to the line where her pubic hair would grow if she wasn’t forced to shave it. She stares at the scar for a few minutes, resting her active mind in the silence.

She finally decided to get dressed and emerge into the dorm room, relieved to see both Eliza and Angelica in bed and sound asleep. The clock on the desk reads 1:38 AM.

She lays down on her bed and silently prays tomorrow will be the day someone saves her.

 

 

She wakes up to pounding on the door. She sits up, gasping for breath, and looks at the clock. 11:18. Oh God no.

“Are you fuckin up?” James yells. Maria nearly leaps to her feet and swings the door open. The moment James is able to process it’s Maria, he shoves her on her ass. “Do you understand what time it is?”

“I’m late,” Maria says. “My alarm must not have gone off-”

“Twenty minutes is late, babe.” James snorts bitterly. “Three hours is just bullshit.” He grabs the front of her shirt and yanks her to her feet. “Do you know how many people I had to refund ‘cause you didn’t wake up? How much money we lost?”

“I’m sorry.” Maria frowns. “I don’t know why I slept in-”

“Shut up!” James shoves her again. She falls back against the wall and slides down. “Get up!” Maria scrambles to her feet. “I know why you slept in, it’s ‘cause you’re fucking lazy! You don’t do shit, and you’re still tired!” James’ eyes are wildly shifting from her fearful face to her shaking leg, his fists clenched tightly at his sides. “I did all the heavy lifting yesterday, all you had to do was lie on your back, and you couldn’t even wait to fuck me over for such a menial task.

“I’m sorry-”

“Shut! Up!” The smack she gets doesn’t even bother to sting, but it does knock her back against the wall. “Stop saying sorry, you sound like a Goddamn parrot!”

Maria goes to apologize again, but she stops herself with a choked noise. Instead, she just turns around and starts to get dressed, pulling her brush messily through her hair.

“Charles Lee wants to meet you at the library in 25 minutes.” James says. “$40.”

Maria’s stomach twists. “Yes, sir.”


	3. Chapter 3

“My God, Sam, what happened to you?” Charles gasps when he sees Samuel. He had completely missed the boy’s busted lip and scraped cheek last night when Sam returned from his attempt at a seminar at the bar.  
“Jefferson’s alien roommate.” Sam huffs, turning away. “I’m fine.”  
“He did this to you?” Charles glares. “Christ.”  
“He was hanging out with Laurens and those….. Freaks.” Sam huffs.  
“I’ll talk to John.” Charles says. “If the kids rooms with Jefferson, he can’t be too much of a problem.”  
“Why not just go talk to him now?” Sam says. “Aren’t you his RA?”  
“Yeah, but I’m about to take off.” Charles says. “Meeting Reynolds for a, uh, meeting.”  
“James or Maria?” Sam asks. His stomach twists when Charles smirks. “Disgusting, Charles.”  
“What?” Charles chuckles. “I haven’t seen her all summer.”  
“You could do better than a prostitute.” Sam says. “Try getting an actual girlfriend, if you’re going to bother with adultery.”  
“Eh,” Charles shrugs. “Girls don’t like sticking around me for long. I’d rather not pass myself around.”  
“Oh, but you’ll take Maria Reynolds, who has been passed around?” Sam scoffs. “You’re a hypocrite.”  
“James keeps her clean,” Charles says. “She’s good as new every time.”  
“Disgusting.”  
“Why does it matter to you?” Charles snorts.  
“I’m trying to save you from eternal damnation,” Sam says. “Least you could do is humor me.”  
“Nah, I’m good.” Charles snorts again. “I’ll see you later, Sammy.” He pats Sam’s head and leaves.  
“Don’t call me Sammy,” Sam grumbles.

“I actually got her to wake up,” James jokes. “Apologize to Richard when you get a chance, will you?”  
“Sure,” Charles eyes Maria. She avoids eye contact with him, picking nervously as a string on her clothes. “So we’ll meet back here in two hours?”  
“Three,” James says, glaring down at Maria. “You got an hour on me. For good measure.”  
“Wonderful.” Charles’ lips curl. Maria hangs her head and takes Charles’ hand. “Don’t worry baby, I’ll take good care of you.”  
“See you soon~” James smirks, waving over his shoulder..  
Maria’s stomach burns the longer she stares at either of them.

She leaves Charles’ care feeling disgusting, not that he noticed. Charles passes her back to James and heads back to his dorm feeling much better. He considers apologizing to James about the bite marks left all over Maria’s neck and shoulders, but he decided to let them sort that out.  
When he gets back to his room, Sam is already back, sitting at his desk with a book. He avoids looking at Charles at first, his fingers itching as he turns each page, but he finally looks up to find Charles staring at him.  
“Hello?” Sam says.  
“Huh?” Charles eyes seem to refocus for a moment and he turns away. “Sorry.” He sits on his bed.  
“Was she good?” Sam asks, looking back down.  
“Good enough,” Charles shrugs. “The edge is gone.”  
The room remains quiet for nearly an hour before Charles says, “She had a scar. Big one. It was right down her stomach.”  
“Probably had her tubes tied over break.” Sam says. “Shame James would take such a precious gift from her.” His eyes never move from his book.  
“Seemed bigger than that, though.” Charles says.  
“Hm,” Sam says.  
The door opens and James walks in, laying on his bed with a loud huff. “Evenin’, gentlemen.” He says, setting his western style hat on the floor.  
“Hey,” Charles smiles. “How’s she doin’?”  
“She’s in class right now,” James says. “She’s fine.” He looks at Sam, who has gone still pale. “Why don’t you ever want to take an hour with her, Father?”  
“I haven’t been ordained yet,” Sam snaps quickly. “Don’t call me Father.” He sighs. “And if you must know, Maria is not my type, so I will not subject myself to such sin with her.” He turns his nose up in the air and starts gathering his things.  
“Aw, don’t let me run you off.” James chuckles. “I was just askin’ you a question.”  
“Good evening.” Is all Sam says when he leaves.  
“Well, at least his story stays straight,” James snorts once the door’s closed. “Otherwise, I’d probably just think he’s a faggot.” He laughs.  
Charles doesn’t laugh.


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey guys, sorry it's been so long since I updated. Life has been a blur for a few months now. Hopefully I'll be back to regularly scheduled updates.

    White moves.  
    Black moves.  
    White moves.  
    “Check.”  
    Black moves.  
    White moves.  
    Black moves.  
    White moves.  
    “Check.”  
    “Damnit.”  
    Thomas watches the two go back and forth, pieces dancing around the board in a complicated waltz he cannot keep track of. It isn’t long before He realizes the game has ended and the two are setting up a new game. “Wait, it’s over?”  
    “Yes?” Aaron raises an eyebrow. “He put me in checkmate.”  
“He doesn’t know what that means.” James shakes his head.  
“He doesn’t play chess?”  
“Who has the time?” Thomas scoffs.  
“Obviously, we do.” Aaron says blandly. He doesn’t even sound offended, just bland. He rearranges his pieces and rotates the board. It’s James’ turn to be white now.  
“He just can’t focus on one thing long enough to learn a game as complicated as chess.” James says.  
“I could if I tried,” Thomas pouts. “I just don’t care about this game.”  
“Then what do you care about?” Aaron says. “What do you occupy your time doing, besides belittling freshman?”  
“What are you talking about?”  
“Your roommate,” Aaron says. “I saw what you did yesterday when you came upstairs.” He sees Thomas’ face heat up and he stares passively towards a noise booming through the stairwell down the hall. It sounds like voices, but they’re all slurred and mingled together, heavy footsteps on stairs blocking some of the voices. “Harsh.”  
“I didn’t know he was my roommate,” Thomas says quickly.  
“Oh, that makes what you did justified?” Aaron says.  
“No, I didn’t say that.” Thomas says.  
“You meant it.”  
“James, help.” Thomas turns to his boyfriend.  
“I told you to leave Alex alone.” James says. “You actively chose not to.”  
Thomas groans. “Whatever, I’m going back to my room.” He gets up and starts leaving.  
“Okay, okay,” Aaron says. “I’ll stop heckling you, come back.” He watches Thomas turn around and sit back in his spot. “James, how about we let Thomas play this one?”  
“You’ll teach him how to play?” James snorts, unable to repress his smile. “Good luck.”  
“Okay, do you want to be the white pieces or the black pieces?” Aaron asks once Thomas is situated facing the board.  
Thomas stares at the frosted glass pieces with confusion. “Which one’s black?”  
“The clear ones.” Aaron holds up one of the pieces.  
“Okay, what’s the difference?”  
“White goes first each game.” Aaron says.  
“That sounds about right,” Thomas snorts.  
“Thomas, focus,” James reminds him.  
“Um, I’ll be white.” Thomas says.  
Aaron nods. “Okay, so here’s all your pieces. As the game goes on, I’ll tell you how each one moves, but for now, just focus on telling the difference.”  
As Aaron starts explaining the pieces to Thomas, James turns his attention to his phone, resting his mind from the adrenaline of competition. It’s been a few years since he’s even played chess, and he has been playing with Aaron almost non-stop since yesterday. The only break they had was late last night, when Aaron suggested they go down to the corner store and buy some coffee and snacks to keep them awake.  
They took about an hour and ate their snacks, talking about where they came from. James discovered that Aaron and his brother are from New Jersey, and they lived with their aunt and uncle until recently. James had connected the dots that pointed to Aaron’s parents being dead, but he didn’t bother asking what had happened to them. He would let Aaron discuss that on his own time.  
Meanwhile, James had told him that he had 16 brothers and sisters and they all lived in a mansion down in Virginia, close to where Thomas and his sister live. James told Aaron about how him and Thomas met in high school, and they started dating “Romeo and Juliet” Style because their fathers are old political rivals.  
“Wait,” Thomas detours James’ attention back to the duo playing chess. “The queen moves more than the king? That’s bogus.”  
“I didn’t make the rules,” Aaron says. He continues talking and James zones out again.  
When Thomas and James were picking colleges, Thomas made it very clear he wanted to go wherever James went. James wanted to attend school in New York, but wasn’t sure what school until the last minute. What ended up making him pick this school was the fact that as long as he was enrolled here, his other siblings wouldn’t have to pay as much in tuition due to a grant from the school. While the fraction of tuition the grant covered was small, with 3 other children who would be in college by the time he graduated, his family needed all the help they could get. Thomas never questioned his decision once, and the two moved to New York.  
“Think you got it?” Aaron says.  
“I think so.” Thomas nods slowly. James could see gears turning in his head, trying to remember everything he had just learned but, like always, he was quickly losing it all. Thomas has always had a problem remembering things that are taught to him in a flurry, it's just a problem he’s always had. James almost visibly shudders when he remembers trying to help Thomas study for his ACT tests; the boy was forgetting questions as soon as they were asked and fumbling over answers that couldn't make sense for the life of him.  
“Let’s play a round.” Aaron says. “You’re white, so you go first.”  
James watches Thomas’ hand closely. James knows it’d have to be a pawn that moved first, but he can see Thomas trying to remember if that’s right. Aaron let's him take his time, only raising an eyebrow after almost a full minute of contemplation.  
Finally Thomas moves his pawn one square, and James can't help but sigh softly in relief.  
That’s how the rest of the game goes. Aaron will move his piece and then Thomas will stare at the board, trying to remember everything he was told and only being able to comprehend a few things. Over halfway through the game, James notices he hasn't even moved his knights or rooks, and his Queen is more protected than his King. He doesn't want to call it to Thomas’ attention and embarrass him in front of Aaron, but it's clear Thomas has forgotten the point of the game and several pieces.  
Honestly, Aaron hasn't even caught Thomas’ apparent loss of memory, as he is completely fixated on the fact that Thomas has him in check and neither of them even noticed. How long Thomas’ bishop has been staring diagonally down at his king he’ll never know. Of course, he’s not going to bring it to Thomas’ attention, but he can't help but stare at it. The fact that Thomas hadn't even realized he put Aaron in check makes him antsy. What other times has Thomas made a genius move and not even realized it?  
Thomas finally decides to move another pawn after 3 or 4 minutes of staring, and Aaron quickly moves his king out of harm's way. James realizes what had happened and gasps softly.  
“What?” Thomas says.  
“You had him in check.” James says.  
“I did?” Thomas retraces Aaron’s move and blinks “Oh shit.”  
“We didn't even realize,” Aaron says, amused.  
Thomas doesn't take as long to move the next few turns, he’s starting to get the hang of moving his pieces and tracking down Aaron’s king.  
Aaron is not easily conquered, however; he quickly thinks out a new plan and it isn't long before-  
“Checkmate.”  
Thomas blinks. His eyes dart around the board, looking for something- anything- he can do, but Aaron’s right, his King is trapped and the game is over.  
“You actually did really good for your first time,” Aaron says. “That game lasted almost an hour.”  
“That was just cause I spent so long looking for moves,” Thomas snorts “The game would've been a lot shorter.”  
“Well, that’s kind of the point of the game.” Aaron says “Strategy, thinking about your next move.”  
Thomas huffs softly with a smile and feels his phone buzz in his pocket. “Oh, it’s Lafayette.” He says once he checks the message. Attached to a very sloppy drunk text is a picture of Lafayette and Hercules laying in bed together. Luckily, this time they’re still clothed, Thomas praises silently. “They went back to Elana’s.”  
“We should take Aaron there,” James says.  
“I don't think he can drink.” Thomas says.  
“I’m 19.” Is all Aaron says.  
Thomas’ phone signals another drunk text (At least he can make out some of the poorly written words in this one; he caught the word “John” and “Bed”) and another picture of John curled up around a smaller figure. “Looks like John finally managed to bring someone home.”  
“Good for him.” James snorts.  
Thomas stares at the picture for a second longer, and quickly notices the dark hair framing the face. When he zooms in closer on the face, he gasps “Oh shit!”  
“What?”  
“It’s Alex,” Thomas says.  
“Oh, shit.” James says.  
“Your roommate?” Aaron leans over to see Thomas’ phone.  
“Yeah.” Thomas says. He looks at James. “Well, guess Lafayette will have no problem fixing the locket then.”  
“I suppose.” James sighs.


	5. Chapter 5

Alex wakes up in the dark and with a set of arms around his waist. He spends a minute retracing his steps. He knows he came home with the three men from the bar last night, he knows Lafayette and Hercules shared a bed so he could sleep in one and John could sleep in the other-

Alex’s neck almost cracks when he turns his head quickly to see John wrapped around him, sleeping soundly.

_ Oh no. No no no. _ Alex tries to pull away from John, but the sleeping man has a steel grip around his waist.  _ Shit, shit. _ He whines softly.

“He’ll let go eventually.” Hercules says from the other bed. Alex looks at him helplessly, a dark figure in the across from him. “He normally lays on his other side, he has to let go to roll over.”

“Do I just have to lay here until then?” Alex hisses.

“Probably.” Hercules says. Lafayette stirs in his arms with a soft whine. “Sorry, love, go back to sleep.”

“How did he even get in this bed?” Alex says.

“He just climbed in with you.” Hercules says.

“You didn’t stop him?” Alex tries to pry John’s arms off of him, but he doesn’t budge.

“He’s just laying next to you, man.” Hercules chuckles. “He didn’t do nothing to you-”

“Why did you let him lay here?” Alex huffs.

“Is it a big deal?” Hercules says.

“Yes!” Alex snarls, trying to roll off the bed. John’s arms tighten around his waist and pull him back onto the bed, and he groans. “This isn’t why I came here with you guys!”

“Well, you can’t leave now,” Lafayette sits up with a sigh, giving in to the fact he won’t be able to go back to bed. “John will be heartbroken.”

“Heartbroken?” Alex scoffs. “Please, we’ve known each other for-” He reaches for his phone and looks at it. It’s not even 6 yet. “Ten hours. And 7 of that was sleeping.”

“John gets… Attached,” Hercules chuckles. “Very  _ very _ easily. At least stay until he wakes up, little lion.”

“Little lion?” Alex says. “What kind of nickname is that?”

Lafayette giggles. “We decided to call you little lion after your little outburst with Samuel yesterday.”

“I’m touched, really.” Alex says as he finally pulls John’s arm away from his waist. He quickly gets to his feet, pocketing his phone. “But I can’t stay here, I have to go back to my room.” He grabs his shoes and heads for the door.

“Look,” Hercules sits up quickly. “You can lay in the other bed, just don’t leave.” Alex doesn’t bother looking back at them before he walks out.

“Oh, no.” Lafayette mumbles.

“Wonderful,” Hercules sighs, laying back down. “Now we gotta deal with that in the morning.”

“I’m sure it’ll be fine,” Lafayette winces at his own words, knowing they’re not true. He watches John stir a bit before rolling onto his other side, his back facing them. He mumbles something under his breath.

“Sure,” Hercules scoffs. “If John can ever just relax and not take things the wrong way. Which he can’t.” He watches John with a frown. “Shit. What are we even supposed to say?”

“We didn’t see him leave,” Lafayette shrugs and snuggles into Hercules’ side. “We were asleep.”

“I guess...” Hercules says. He wraps an arm around Lafayette’s waist and closes his eyes. Hopefully he falls asleep before John wakes up.

 

John, as usual, wakes up to an empty bed.

He sits up quickly, and closes his eyes when he feels his head swimming. Images of last night flow through his mind, thick and confusing with his hangover, until he settles on a face. For a moment, he cannot remember a name, only the face. He looks around his room, trying to see any proof that the man was still here. That he was even real. John doesn’t find anything in his room but his two sleeping roommates, tangled with each other and snoring softly. He lays back down and stares at the ceiling, wincing at the light coming through the window. The sun is up, and his head is pounding, signaling him to go back to sleep but he knows it’s time for him to get up because he can hear Samuel and Charles talking next door. He doesn’t need to look at the clock to realize it’s a time between 8 and 10-

His mind suddenly recalls Samuel getting his ass beat last night by the man in his memories. They got thrown out of the bar and Alexander-  _ that was his name, Alexander! _ \- came home with them. He was completely hammered when Alex slid into Lafayette’s empty bed, but he recalls getting into bed with him, snuggling into the warmth of the smaller man until he fell asleep.

As usual, he wakes up alone.

 

“You had fun last night, huh?” Thomas chuckles.

“Not right now, Thomas.” Alex scoffs, flopping on his bed. Thomas was watching something on his phone, peeking over the edge to look at him. “Wait, how did you know about that?”

“Lafayette texted me earlier.” Thomas says. “You didn’t seem like a guys who was into… John.” He chuckles.

“What’s that supposed to mean?” Alex pouts.

“Just,” Thomas sits up and chuckles. “He’s a… Special kind of person. Trust me, it takes a lot to be with him.”

“We’re not together.” Alex says. “He just crawled into bed with me while I was sleeping.”

“Oh, you got it bad, then.” Thomas snorts. “John only does that to the people he really likes.”

“What’s his deal, anyways?” Alex says. “Hercules said I couldn’t leave until John woke up.”

“He’s got some real bad abandonment issues.” Thomas says. “He can’t handle anyone leaving him.”

“I’m still trying to figure out why that involves me.” Alex shakes his head. “We just met.”

“See, with John, that doesn’t work.” Thomas says. “Normal friendships and shit start at level one. For John, you start out at level 6 boyfriends or something; he gets attached to people too easily.”

“That’s so weird.” Alex says, shaking his head and rolling onto his back. Sunlight is just peeking through the window between their two beds.

“Yeah, it is.” Thomas chuckles. “But it’s just how he is. Ask Hercules about it next time you see him; he knows just how weird John can get.”

“So now what?” Alex says. “He’s gonna follow me around like a puppy or something?”

“Oh, no.” Thomas says. “You told him you weren’t interested when you left this morning.”

“Well, it’s not that I’m not interested.” Alex says. “I just- I just got here, I literally haven’t lived in this country for a week yet. I am not ready for whatever you guys are saying he wants, especially not this quick.”

“He won’t see it like that.” Thomas says. “Trust me, Alex, this guy is kinda twisted.”

“Twisted how?” Alex says. “He seemed fine to me until this morning.”

“Well, yeah, fine to you,” Thomas says. “But I’ve hung out with this kid for a year already, and Hercules actually roomed with him last year. He’s different.” He watches Alex process this for a moment. He remembers when he and James were learning all this for the first time, and the confusion they felt trying to understand all of John’s little quirks. “Hopefully he’ll give you another chance.”

“Why?” Alex says.

“You two actually seemed kinda cute last night.” Thomas shrugs.

“Yeah, well, like I said,” Alex says. “I’m not really looking for a relationship yet, if at all.” He sees the broken locket on his bedside table and his heart begins to hurt. “I need to focus on school first.”

“That’s fair,” Thomas shrugs. “You do you, man.” He lays back on his bed and returns to the video he was watching earlier.

Alex turns his back to Thomas and stares at the blank wall, mind reeling. Had he really messed something up his first day here? How could this have happened?

What has he gotten himself into?


	6. Chapter 6

    Classes start three days after move-in day. Alex has spent the past few days walking around campus, trying to memorize the layout of the vast grounds, and rehearsing his schedule so he can quickly make his way to and from different buildings on time.  
           As Alex wandered around campus, he found himself staring at a set of windows in a dorm room above his. Hanging in the window were various sets of national and sexuality flags sewn together in a really pathetic amalgamation of identity. He realized the first time staring at it that that must be where his friends from the other night stayed. Honestly he was so hungover when he fled their room that he barely remembers which room he came from. He cannot help but wonder, as he laid in bed the night before classes, if they were doing alright. Everyone had said John would be upset to wake up alone; surely he’s doing fine.  
Alex wakes up before his alarm, and he wonders why he finds himself with a headache until the smell hits him. A wave of thick and Earthy tones rests over the room, and Alex sits up, hair tangled around his head. Without looking at Thomas, he knows what the smell is, and looking at Thomas only confirms his suspicions.  
“Sorry,” Thomas says. “Did I wake you up?” He takes another hit off his joint before setting it in an ashtray sitting on his desk. The smoke filters out of his nose before he starts coughing,  
“Uh, yeah,” Alex glares. “That shit stinks.” He feels nauseous as he sees just how red Thomas’ eyes are. “God, how high are you?”  
“Relax,” Thomas says. “I don’t have class until noon, I’m good.”  
“Disgusting,” Alex gets on his feet. “I thought there was no smoking in the healthy living dorms.”  
“There’s no smoking on campus, period,” Thomas says. “Especially weed. But that ain’t gonna stop me now, is it?” He takes another drag and holds it for a second before blowing the smoke in Alex’s direction. The boy quickly waves the smell away and gets out of bed, hoping to flee the room as quickly as possible before the smell saturates into his clothes. “When do you have class?”  
“9:30.” Alex says, grabbing a change of clothes and a small green cloth bag where he’s kept his toiletries.  
“Jesus Christ,” Thomas snorts “Why would you have a class that starts at 9:30?”  
“Because that’s what time I wanted to start class?” Alex frowns. “I don’t just want to wake up and just be awake doing nothing for hours until class starts.”  
“How about you don’t wake up so early?” Thomas snorts. “I’m normally not up until like, 11:45.”  
“That’s just what time I wake up,” Alex shrugs. He snatches his towel from off the floor and quickly leaves the room before Thomas has a chance to say something back. People normally have a weird reaction to him saying he wakes up anytime between 7:00 and 9:00 AM. They almost seem offended in a way, like his decision personally harms them somehow; Alex has never understood the concept.  
When Alex gets in the bathroom, he quickly slides into a shower stall and closes the frosted glass door behind him. He knows the room is going to be empty, so he doesn’t bother looking around as he turned on the water, letting the warmth wash over his body. He stands there in silence, letting the water wash away his paranoia.

The classroom is pristine and empty when George arrives, the early morning sunrise peering through the windows in a mystical silence. He’s always been amused with how well the cleaning crew does the week before classes, compared to the last team that was hired on behalf of the university. He sets his bookbag down- Martha said a briefcase made him look too old- and starts pulling out his materials. He logs onto his computer and begins writing on the board.  
His first class today is a Strategic Studies class, lasting nearly 3 hours with about 20 students, one of which was the child from the Caribbean that he had decided to sponsor this fall. Giving the boy and his brother full ride scholarships to this university was a decision George was proud to make. The boy wrote an amazing essay that almost left George and his wife stunned into silence, and he was more than happy to write off two checks, one for the boy and one for his baby brother, both having just graduated from a homeschool project. George is looking forward to seeing what the Caribbean is capable of in this kind of setting.  
George loads up the college’s teacher site and looks at his class roster, starting to memorize faces. Some of these kids are students he’s had in other classes last year or the year before, so they aren't too hard to memorize and he even knows where some of the various cliques are sitting. He recognizes Lafayette’s picture immediately and grins. Lafayette was always a treat to have in class; very friendly, intelligent during discussions, never turns in homework late. Not to mention he loves bringing food to split with the class. Last year, a new crepe place opened near the edge of campus and Lafayette wrote down everyone’s orders and picked them up on his way to class on opening day.  
On the other hand, George groans when he sees Charles Lee on the roster. This is a man who has taken this class twice already and still managed to fail it, and now he’ll be in the same room as Lafayette; surely this will cause enough problem to force George into early retirement. Lee and Lafayette are less likely to mix than water and oil, and even though George just praised how friendly Lafayette is, he can also be aggressive if the situation calls for it. In Lafayette’s opinion, anything involving Charles Lee and the likes of him is a situation that calls for it.  
He takes a sip of his coffee and inhales deeply. It’s going to be a long morning.


	7. Chapter 7

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So I have several things to say, so I'm just gonna say them:  
> 1\. Sorry if this chapter doesn't make much sense, I wrote most of it when I was on my phone watching a softball game and if there's something wrong I can't seem to find it.  
> 2\. IDK how student visas work in the US? (Or anywhere for that matter) So sorry if the information about Alex and Lafayette are wrong, ahhh I have no clue what I'm doing.  
> 3\. I'm trying to update this chapter and it's showing weird symbols where my quotation marks are? If that's how it actually looks when I publish the chapter, I apologize but I don't know how to fix it.  
> 4\. Let me be honest, I am on academic probation at school, which means I'm in danger of being suspended. With that being said, I'll still write, but it won't be a consistent thing because I need to focus on school.
> 
> With all that being said, enjoy the chapter!

  
"Good morning everyone, and welcome to Strategic Studies."� George says. The room of students blink at him with wide eyes, the early morning sun reflecting off the chalkboard. He sees, in the back corner, the Caribbean boy is hiding with his nose in the syllabus, reading intently as George speaks. In the front of the room, Lee looks like he's ready to fall asleep, sipping lazily at a coffee that no doubt needs more sugar.

These two are the poster children of a college freshman and senior. The dichotomy between the two is so fascinating to George that he almost calls attention to it in the middle of his "Beginning of the term"� speech he gives every semester. Instead, he saves his off-topic discussion until the end, deciding to dwell on the fact that Lafayette is nowhere to be found, despite class starting 10 minutes ago. It's unlike him to miss a class, especially a class taught by Washington himself. George will never admit it, but he enjoys the pedestal Lafayette holds him on. It does get creepy sometimes, but George normally remains neutral about the relationship the two have.

"Has anyone seen Lafayette?"� George asks. "He's supposed to be in here."�

Alexander's head snaps up from the paper he's been reading. Lafayette? In here? On one hand, it's great to have a friend in this class, but on the other hand, is Lafayette really a friend? After what Alex supposedly did to John?

Charles growls under his breath, "He's in this class?" As if today wasn't already too early to deal with Washington's shit, now he has to deal with Lafayette drooling over the man, too. This was his last chance to take this class, though, so he would just have to accept the doting doe eyes of the flirtatious Frenchman and just get through the morning.

"He's on the roster."� George says. He sees alarm in Alexander's eyes when he scans the room and wonders what has the boy so scared of Lafayette. Surely he hadn't already made it to Lafayette's bad side? "Hamilton? Do you know where Lafayette is?"�

"N-No sir."� Alex babbles quickly. He sees someone in the front of the room side-eye him and he quickly looks back down at the syllabus.

So that's Hamilton, Lee thought. That's the one who busted Sam's face up the other night. He seemed like the kind of kid who'd hang out with Mulligan and his band of misfits, especially once Laurens got a few drinks in him. That man is too lightweight for his own good.

"So strange."� George says. "He's never been late to class."� Just as he goes to mark him absent, George hears it. The rushed sharp clicking of stiletto heels running down the hallway. He tosses all neutrality out the window and grins- "Oh, there he is!"�-, watching the door for only a few seconds before Lafayette enters, holding several boxes of doughnuts and panting softly.

"I am so sorry I'm late, Monsieur"� Lafayette says, setting the doughnuts on George's desk before finding a seat in the front of the room. He straightens out the messy bun on top of his head, and George quickly notes the thin circles under his eyes. "You have no idea how hard it is to get gel eyeliner straight, and the line at the coffee shop was a little long, and-"�

"Lafayette, it's good to see you."� George says without missing a beat. "Glad you could join us."�

"Sir,"� Lafayette grins at Washington. "Did you have a good summer?"� He crosses his legs and leans forward, resting his face on his hand. Even with the dark circles, his eyes still sparkle when he looks at the man.

"I did." George hums. "And how did you enjoy your summer?"�

"Wonderfully."� Lafayette grins. Out of the corner of his eye, he sees Lee eyeing the doughnuts on the desk. "Are you hungry, Charles?"� He says in a mocking tone.

"Fuck off." Charles growls.

Charles? Alex frowns. His RA, the friend of the guy he hit at the bar the other day. That's why he was mean-mugging him earlier. Great, now that's two people in one class he has to avoid. Wonderful. Maybe he can talk to Washington about changing to another class.

"Come up and grab a doughnut, guys." George says. "Thank you, Lafayette, for picking these up."

"Not a problem, sir." Lafayette grins.

As the class happily files to the front of the room, Alex stays in his seat. Softly, his stomach whines in protest. It hadn't occurred to him that he had skipped breakfast, but now it was bothering him. It's not that he's avoiding Lafayette, or that he's lazy and doesn't want to get out of his seat and cross the room for a doughnut, but he genuinely doesn't want to draw attention to himself by interacting with either Lafayette, Charles, or Washington himself. He'd rather sit in his seat and go unnoticed by the rest of the class.

Washington notices Alex, unmoving in his seat, and decides to turn his attention to Lafayette for a moment before starting class. "So how has settling into the new room been?"�

"Good." Lafayette says, his tone flat as he picks at the cheap nail polish on his hand.

"You're rooming with Hercules and John this year, right?"�

"Yep."�

"How have they been?"

"Hercules is doing fine."� Lafayette says. "John, not so much."

Alex's ears nearly perk up like a dog when he overhears them talking. He keeps his head low, but tries to focus on what Lafayette is saying amongst all the other noise in the room.

"Aw, sorry to hear that. What's wrong with him?"�

"He's just been in an awful mood the past few days." Lafayette says. He uncrosses his legs and leans back in his chair, ready to spill all the latest dish on one of his closest friends. It's something George actually admires about the Sophomore, he isn't scared to talk to George like he's a real person, not just a robotic professor. Lafayette and him have spent several different occasions after class or during his office hours talking about the latest gossip in Lafayette's life or about rumors on campus, and neither of them seem bothered by it. "We had some drinks the other night, and you've heard how John is when he's drunk."�

"Did something happen?"� George says. He sees Alexander is no longer looking at his desk and is actually peeking up at the duo talking. By now, the class has all had their chance to get up and get a doughnut (Charles, the greedy bastard, took 3. Both Lafayette and George noticed) and are now quietly listening to the rambling of the student and teacher. "Is he okay?"� Alexander's attention has George curious more than anything else, and he has a feeling Alexander wants to know what happened.

"They got in a fight with Sam at Elana's bar."� Charles grumbles.

"Ah."� George blinks. So there's where some of the tension is coming from. Surely John wasn't in a bad mood from drinking and fighting, though. Those were some of his favorite things to do, according to what he's heard around campus.

"We didn't."� Lafayette snaps quickly. "It was Alexander."�

"Alexander?"� George blinks. "Hamilton?"�

"Yes?"� Lafayette raises an eyebrow. "You know him?"� There is suddenly a fire in the Frenchman's eyes, a fire George has learned to avoid through many encounters with other students. Obviously George was right in the suspicion Alexander had made it Lafayette's bad side, and he couldn't help but fear for the Caribbean.

George doesn't looks away from Lafayette's face, but he sees Alex tense up in the back of the room. He even sees Charles lean back in his seat and turn his head slightly so he can see Alex, glaring at the boy. Lafayette still hadn't noticed the boy, George realizes. "Yeah."� Is all he says, too worried about the consequences to sell the boy out. Obviously that answer isn't good enough.

"He's back there, dumbass." Charles grunts. The class all turns to the corner Charles is pointing at, revealing a scared Hamilton shrinking into his seat.

" _You_!" Lafayette gets to his feet, nearly snarling.

George gasps softly as the Frenchman makes his way across the room. The class looks at George to stop what is no doubt going to be a fight, but the Professor cannot seem to move.

Lafayette picks Alexander up by his shoulder, nearly taking the boy's feet off the ground "Where have you been, huh?"� He growls.

"Wh-What's the big deal?" Alex babbles.

"The big deal, little _lion_ , is that I've barely gotten any sleep in the past few days because of you!"

"The fuck did he do to you?" Charles says. "Thought y'all were chill."�

"Lafayette, please put him down." George finally finds his voice.

Lafayette lowers the smaller man to the desk. "He knows what he did."� Is all he says before he saunters back to his seat and sits down, grumbling softly under his breath.

"I didn't-"� Alexander groans, slowly rising from his seat. "Okay, look, I'm sorry. I didn't know your friend was gonna turn into a psycho."� The second it leaves his mouth, he regrets it. He sees Lee and Washington both drop their jaw and Lafayette turns to face him, fists clenched on the desk. "I mean-"�

"What was that?" Lafayette stands up again. His entire posture has changed, making him appear bigger than he already is.

"Lafayette, don't-!"� George gasps as Lafayette easily slips out of his range and charges at Alex again, clocking him square in the jaw. "Lafayette!"� Students gasp and murmur as Alex groans, sitting back down and resting his head on his desk. He feels his heart beating in his ears and tears prick the corners of his eyes. For such a dainty feminine character the other night, Lafayette sure packed a punch.

"Whoa!" Lee gasps as Lafayette once again turns on his heels and retreats to his seat, sitting down with an aggressive huff. "Shit!"

"Lafayette-"� George starts.

"It won't be a problem again, sir."� Lafayette says in a polite soft tone. If George hadn't been in the room to see the last exchange, he would've assumed Lafayette wasn't the one who hit Alexander. Aside from the redness of his knuckles, he seems like a whole different person than who he was several seconds ago. "I'm sorry."�

"Hamilton, are you alright?"� George looks at Alex, unmoving in his seat except for his shoulders.

"I'm fine, sir." Alex chokes through gritted teeth, trying to force himself to stop crying.

George is completely speechless, and doesn't know what to do. In any other occasion, he'd throw both students out or even call the Dean, but he knew getting the Dean involved could easily result in both students- Both foreigners- being kicked out of the University and deported back to their home countries, their student visas void. He considers throwing them out for a moment, but decides he'd rather talk to them after class in private.

So with no other options and no further discussion, he starts class.


	8. Chapter 8

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> My file did the weird symbol thing again, so I apologize if the chapter looks weird as shit after I've edited it.

Faguette: Alexander's in Washington's class with me

Hunkules: Shit, are you serious?

Hercules looks up from his phone at the lump on the other bed. Just the mention of Alexander makes Hercules' skin crawl, and he has some deep-rooted instinctual fear that John can sense it, too. On the other bed, John is laying in silence, eyes staring glassily at the wall, empty and unfeeling. That's how he's been since late yesterday evening. Better than how he was the last two days before that. Hercules still has bite marks all over his arm, and probably needs to visit the wellness clinic.

****

Faguette: He called John psycho, so I punched him.

Hunkules: I guess good job? Washington didn't kick you out?

Faguette: No, but he wants to see me in his office after class.

Faguette: And Lee ate all the extra doughnuts. Sorry

Hunkules: Shit. Fat ass.

****

"Hey, little man?"� Hercules says softly. John doesn't respond, but Hercules knows he's listening. "Wanna go get some food?" There's still no response, just a gentle shuffling of the blankets. "We should go get some food." He says more promptly. He wishes he could just get up and go to the dining hall for some food- He hasn't eaten since before John's last breakdown, sometime yesterday- but he can't leave John alone in this state. If John just happens to come back to his senses in the 15 minutes Hercules would be gone, and see an empty room, he'd probably be more upset than he already is, think Hercules and Lafayette abandoned him, too.

John can feel his stomach building up a growl at the mention of food, but he bears down and fights it away. If Hercules knows he's hungry, he'll make him get up. He doesn't want to get up. He's not ready to get up.

"Hey, come on, please?"� Hercules says. He slowly creeps towards John, ready in case John snaps at him again. "We don't have to stay there, just go get some food and bring it back here-?"�

"Hercules, why are you here?"�

It's the first time John has coherently spoken in hours, something other than a helpless whimper and Hercules is downright stumped as to why John decided to start with that. There's so many other things he could've said, why that? "Because I'm your roommate?"

"Not what I meant."� John rolls over so his eyes- still glassy and weak- meet Hercules'. "Why are you looking after me? After I did all that stuff-"�

"Don't do this, man."� Hercules shakes his head.

"Do what?"�

"You're gonna try to do the thing where you think I hate you and you say a bunch of shit to try to make me believe I hate you."� Hercules shakes his head. "I don't hate you, I never have, and I never will."

"But-" John reaches for the band-aids on Hercules' arm.

"I don't care that you bit me, man."� Hercules says. "Or that you scratched me. And I don't care about all the shit you yelled at me yesterday, either."�

John is silent for a couple minutes, trying to think of something to say, and Hercules gently puts a hand on his shoulder. At first, John has the urge to shove his hand away, but he fights it, scared if he pushes him away now, he won't come back. "Hercules."� He falls silent again, picking at loose skin around a fingernail. He's been picking at his nails for days now, and several of them are caked with dry blood. The one he's picking at now is covered in fresh blood and it stings.

"Wanna go get some food?"� Hercules says quietly.

John is quiet for a few more seconds before sighing softly and standing up, most of his hair falling out of its ponytail. As he tugs and combs through his hair, he avoids all eye contact with Hercules, who is gathering his wallet and keys.

"Wanna get pizza, or Jimmy John's?"� Hercules says "Or we can beat the lunch rush and go to the dining hall-"�

"Pizza's fine."� John says. He finally gets his hair back up in its trademark ponytail and walks out of the room, Hercules close behind.

"When we get back,"� Hercules says. "You should change clothes. Those ones stink."�

"I'll have to get in the shower anyways."� John says softly. It's been days since he's bathed, and anyone can tell just by looking at him. His hair is greasy and his skin is oily from sweat and tears; he desperately needs to get it together. 

Starting with a shower and some fresh clothes shouldn't be too hard.


	9. Chapter 9

Alex feels like a little kid, just sitting outside Washington's office while he speaks to Lafayette. He knows the things he said were stupid- He shouldn't have called John psycho, definitely- but surely he wasn't the only one in the wrong here. His jaw still hurt and he could now crack it when he opened it a certain way; it hurt like hell.

Inside, Lafayette was thinking the same way. He knows it was wrong to hit Alex, but he couldn't help himself. His body reacted before his mind could, and he didn't bother bringing himself to regret it. After the shit Alex had put him through- ignoring the warning to stay just a little while longer, not speaking to John for days, calling his best friend crazy- he wasn't going to let Alex off easy.

  " You can't hit people Lafayette,"� George scolds. "I shouldn't have to tell you that, you're not a child."�

"I know sir,"� Lafayette says. "And I promise Alex and I will not have anymore problems."�

  " I want to take your word on that,"� George says. "But how can I trust you two can be in the same room anymore? Why do you think I made him wait out in the hallway?" He sighs softly and leans back in his chair. "You're normally not like this, Lafayette. You came in late, and I've seen you get aggressive before, but nothing like that-"�

  " I haven't slept since move-in day, sir."� Lafayette says bluntly. "What happened this morning was both a lack of sleep and a lack of impulse control."�

  " Why haven't you been sleeping?"� George asks.

  "A lex came home with us from Elana's bar on move-in day,"� Lafayette says. "And John got a little close to Alex. You've heard me talk about how attached he gets to people."�

  " I do recall, yes." George nods.

  " Well, Alex left John when he woke up and John hasn't taken it well.� Lafayette says. "He thinks he did something to scare Alex off and blames himself."�

  " Lafayette, I-"� George breathe gently through his nose, trying to find a way to word his sentence lightly. "I find it hard to believe a one-night stand after being that drunk made John so upset that it kept you from sleeping for several days-"�

  " He bit Hercules last night." Lafayette says.

"Pardon?"

"Because Hercules tried to put him in bed."� Lafayette says. "Scratched him, too. I had to help bandage him up. John doesn't like being touched when he's upset."�

"Lafayette, should I be concerned about John hurting either you or Hercules?"

"No, no!"� Lafayette says quickly. "It's not like that, sir! This is just how he handles feelings, sometimes. He doesn't really know how to handle things like this, so." Lafayette shrugs. "It's been like this for a while."

"Lafayette." George sighs. "John's really being that difficult?"�

"It took over an hour to cover up the bags under my eyes this morning, sir." Lafayette says. "Like I said, I haven't slept in days."�

"That barely gives you an excuse to hit Alexander, though."� George says. "I understand he said John was crazy and you probably think that's unfair, but that's hardly an excuse."�

"It's not fair that Alex gets off with no strings attached while Hercules and I are forced to deal with the problem he caused." Lafayette says. "And for him to call John anything is unfair. He barely knows the guy but thinks he can call him crazy just because he's a little upset Alex never spoke to him again and it's not right."�

There is a soft knock on the door and Alex peeks his head in. "Sir, I have a class in about 10 minutes, I need to get going-"

"Lafayette and I are done here, Alex, I just need a moment with you."� George says. He carefully watches as Alex tiptoes around Lafayette, who saunters out the door with a sharp suck of his teeth. Obviously the man had more to say, but George wasn't really willing to listen right now.

"I'm sorry for the mess today, sir," Alex quickly apologizes before the man can say anything. "I know causing a scene like that the first day isn't setting a good example, and I apologize. Had I known Lafayette was in this class, I would've made arrangements to-"�

"Hamilton," George says sternly. "Lafayette hit you, remember? You don't have to say sorry."�

"Yes, but it was my fault, sir."� Alex says with a frown. "I started this whole situation."�

"I know, Lafayette told me."� George says. "And he also told me he has no more qualms with you, so I don't expect to see you both in here again because of this."�

"Understood, sir."� Alex nods. He turns to go.

"Do me a favor, Alex?"�

"Yes sir?"�

"Go apologize to John. I know you didn't realize what you were doing, but I think it's important that you make sure they know that."�


End file.
